The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1887-07-28
KING OF CoUnlEaFeITE35.

Tie Checirerri Carrer Of flir Of the Best
Known American ar "a nats.
The man Tom Ballard. pardouei by the
Prcsiicnt tie other jdy. was by all odds
tic most brilliant clurtcriri'er VINO ever
bothered the secret service officers, saws
Washington CORES pnudent II Is stll
a vouHg man. though old In crime. He
was born 90 ls4l. and before ne was TWEEN
Is went 10 work with his father rs a ear
rage painter. Thr1uHh ths i"flc1ce Of
his employee. mrn named Human, he
became acquainted with Josh Miner, .
rich contractor, who, while apparently
carrying on % legitimate bust ess, was
really the banker aud friend of every
cnunierf.iter Of note 60 tho country.
Miner sent hlm 10 Now York 10 learn 70
be an graver, and IN course Of time
be became a very expert wlrsmln.
Then, under Miners patronage.
he BEGAN 70 er grave plates
Tor counterfeit bi Is. Billiards. first work
was a plate for the ouc-dUllar greenbacE;
then followed two-dnllir ON the Shoe and
leather Bank iu New York; thcu came
plates for tend liar bills OF three Ma
tioual banks la Poushk'epsir; twenty
dollar Shoe and Iotthes bills. and plates
Tor printing one hundred -iollar a five
huudred-dOllar Treasury notes. Ballard
married an estimahle womdn, who sup
posed for years that her hush nj was a
reputable carriage painter working IN
Humans shop Ballard ucvei 4 ank OF
smoked. he was perfectly regular in his
hours, and 70 q Of his wife Her suspi-
cions were never aroused till the detect
ives got after him Every morning he left
his house, 22j West Fifiy-third street
OstensiDly for Humans shop. but went
70 s55 Irvingt0n street where tho cnun-
terfeit money was made. Here he shut
himself up in his room and stayci there
till toward night On Irving street he
was understood 70 be a night Waterman
in the Gus tom house, who, Of course, slept
ali DAY and went 10 work "a evening
approached. He led this double life for
years without being suspected by his
friends, but W. finally run dow by
detectives and arrested. He escaped
from Ludlow Street Jail, was a fugitive
from justice for three years, and was
again arrested in August, 1874, and large
stock Of plates, presses, ink, cou1tnr-
feiters' tools and counterfeit money was
captured with him H. escaped again. and
la October Of the same year was again
taken in Western New York. IN the
three months or less he had engraved
a full set ~ plates, made a fresh stock Of
paper, collected q fun outfit of counter
feit.nF materials, and got a goo deal oi
money printed He had also nearly ,om-
pletcd the plate for the face Of Canadian
fve-dOllar bill, which was pronounced at
the Treasury one Of the finest pieces 81
engraving ever done. Mr.. Elmer Wash
burn. now president Of the Stock Yards
National Bank, was then chief Of the
Secfet-Servicc Bureau, and De took good
care thai Billiard an not escape. H. was
tried in January. IS-i. and sente ICED o.
ihirty years Impeachment, II which be
has served about eleven AID a half
Ballard was the only person who ever
successfully I'm Itatsd the fiber paper on
which Government notes are pr.rted, but
ne male e perfectly. lie could also
initiate the scroll work, which is done
in the Government engraving
bureau by the famous geometric
lathe. 50 perfectly that 10 could not be de-
tecied by experts aid by q piicros cope. |
HIS five hundred dollar bin hrs most
famous 'xO' k u was 50 perfect that two
o. them were redeemed by the Treasury
officials thcr1se VS., and one was taken
NJ the sub IRE tsury In Chicago The only
Jaw iu % ~. q button on the co OF John
Quincy Adams. II the left hand end -
the bill. THIS button was not exactly
round, hut was 50 nearly so that no one
would notice % n nc were not lrokinr Tor
L. II is said that only twenty OF these
bills were ever put in circulation. c.ui-
terfcters bsing afraid nf them because
thoir demon marion was So large o. IS
also said that Ballard became afraid %
The plates aud filaliy droppri them over
board from a ferry boat while crossing
Hudson river.